The older woman judge leaned toward Dr. Holloway. "Richard," she said softly. "Perhaps we could give her a minute. It would not hurt."
Dr. Holloway did not answer right away. He was still looking at Maya with those cold, judging eyes. She met his gaze and did not look away.
Finally, he let out a short breath. "Fine," he said. "Sixty seconds. But I want to see what you can really do with something simple. None of this Chopin business. Let us see how you handle basic material."
He reached under the table and pulled out a sheet of music. He stood up, walked to the piano, and placed it in front of Maya.
She looked at it. Her heart sank.
It was a beginner's piece: a simple arrangement of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. The kind of thing a child would play in their first year of lessons. The notes were large and easy to read. There were no complicated rhythms, no difficult fingering, no expression marks.
It was an insult. Maya knew it. Dr. Holloway knew it. Everyone in the room knew it. He was trying to humiliate her; he was trying to prove his point. He was saying: This is your level. This is all you are capable of. A children's song.
Maya looked at the sheet music for a long time. She could feel the judges watching her. She could feel Dr. Holloway standing nearby, waiting to see what she would do. She could play the piece as written; she could prove that she could at least handle something simple—maybe that would be enough to make them reconsider. Or she could refuse to play; she could tell them that this was disrespectful and walk out with her dignity.
But Maya did neither of these things. Instead, she did something that surprised everyone in the room, including herself.
She reached out and gently pushed the sheet music to the side of the piano.
"I will keep it simple," she said. "But I will do it my way."
Dr. Holloway's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"
"You want to hear me play something simple," Maya said. "Something basic. I understand. But I do not need this sheet music to do that. I will play the same melody. I will keep it simple. But I will show you what simple can become when you really listen to it."